Nicholson Gateway is touted as one of the premier places to live on campus, and for good reason. It is the newest apartment complex on campus, has fully-functioning facilities and rooms come fully-furnished with modern appliances. Yet despite these great perks, apartment residents often report feeling more disconnected from campus life than their peers in traditional residence halls.
While a number of factors impact this, a fundamental one is simply the physical distance between Nicholson Gateway and centers of campus activity like the Student Union and the UREC.
The Nicholson complex has its own mini UREC, but its purpose is more purely functional than that of the main UREC. All of the exercise machines, from the stationary bikes to the leg press, are meant for solitary exercise only. This selection is sufficient for the majority of habitual gym goers, but it can leave other would-be athletes unsatisfied and bored.
The satellite UREC lacks the communal atmosphere that makes the main UREC a favorite spot on campus for so many University students. Obviously a primary reason for the UREC’s appeal is simply the range and variety of services it provides, from racquetball courts to the lazy river.
Adding these features to the Nicholson UREC would be expensive, unnecessary and wasteful, so instead I propose that the Nicholson UREC offer group exercise classes like those offered by the main UREC. These classes would drive up gym attendance, provide guidance to unsteady gym users and, most vitally, attract Nicholson residents out of their apartments to interact with each other.
Given the small size of the Nicholson UREC, classes would necessarily have to be adapted from the main UREC model. Small groups could do stretches and indoor cardio in the open space within the UREC, and larger groups could go on long runs on the beautiful levee behind the Vet School. These are activities that Nicholson residents could do alone, but given the chance, would prefer to do together.
The UREC group classes were one of my prime motivators to work out when I lived close to the UREC last semester. The external pressure of committing to a class and knowing that it would be embarrassing to leave early guaranteed that I would walk into the UREC and actually work up a sweat. I looked forward to the guidance of the instructor, the supporting atmosphere and meeting new people. Plus, group classes are fun.
Group classes would be easy to implement at the Nicholson UREC and would provide much needed campus interaction to apartment residents looking to be more active. They are a simple way for the University to show its students that it cares for their well-being, physical and mental. At worst, a group class makes you work out, and at best it introduces you to new passions and friends.
Cécile Girard is a 20-year-old psychology sophomore from Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Opinion: Group exercise classes at the Nicholson Gateway UREC would help with feelings of disconnect
February 23, 2020